Celebrating Chinese New Year

Gin dui

Forget the malasadas at the Punahou Carnival. People stand in long lines for as many gin dui (about $1.25 each) as they can get on Chinese New Year, fresh from the wok. These are puffy balls of mochi, filled with lots of air and fillings like pork, coconut, or black sugar. Unlike the ones sold on dim sum carts, freshly fried gin dui is lightly crunchy with a slight mochi gumminess to give a contrast of textures. The filling just takes the taste to another level.